title: Health care services for HIV-positive substance abusers in a rural setting: an innovative program.
abstract: Agencies that deliver health care services to HIV-positive substance abusers living in rural areas of the United States face particular treatment challenges and barriers to care. Rural consumers of HIV/AIDS health care-related services identified long travel distances to medical facilities, lack of transportation, lack of availability of HIV-specific medical personnel, a shortage of mental health and substance abuse services, community stigma, and financial problems as leading barriers to access to care. This article discusses barriers to care for rural HIV-positive substance abusers, and challenges for rural health care providers. In addition, it presents a case study of Health Services Center, a model program that has devised innovative practices in the delivery of health care services to HIV-positive substance abusers in rural northeastern Alabama.
authors.affiliation: School of Social Welfare, State University of New York at Albany, Albany, New York 12222, USA. sawood@albany.edu
authors.forename: Starr A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Wood
mesh_terms: D000407:Alabama / Q000453:epidemiology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003151:Community Health Centers / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D011287:Prejudice; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy* / Q000821:virology*